Systems, methods, devices and arrangements for unified messaging

ABSTRACT

A system or device can be configured with a first interface that is configured and arranged to provide content to a remote web-browser. This first interface can be provided by a computer server designed to implement a website. A second interface is configured and arranged to communicate content of an audio telephone calls with a remote audio-enabled device. This second interface can also communicate video content, text content, document sharing content and/or desktop sharing content. A processing circuit is configured and arranged to establish an audio telephone call between the remote web-browser and the remote audio-enabled device. The processing circuit can also facilitate communications with social networks by passing a general status message to a plurality of interface modules, each interface module designed to interface with a corresponding and respective social network.

RELATED PATENT DOCUMENT

This patent document is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/528,085 filed on Oct. 30, 2014 (U.S. Pat.No. 9,762,738) and with an Appendix, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/211,900 filed on Aug. 17, 2011 (U.S. Pat.No. 8,917,855), and which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/374,447, entitled “Systems,Methods, Devices and Arrangements for Unified Messaging” and filed onAug. 17, 2010; each of these patent documents is fully incorporatedherein by reference.

OVERVIEW

Advances in technology are providing more and more options forindividuals to communicate with one another. Voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP), email, texting, PSTN, instant messaging (IM) servicesand other communication formats each provide different communicationoptions to individuals. The various different communication formats haverespective advantages and disadvantages. Aspects of the presentdisclosure relate to a comprehensive system that coordinates multiplecommunication formats and provides a single, unified interface for usetherewith. Embodiments are configured for use with databases, cloudcomputing services, internal call routing, automated functions and/orcall center applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the disclosurein connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a system diagram that includes a unified interfacedesigned for use with multiple communication types, consistent with anexample embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts a graphical user interface (GUI) for providing a userwith information and control over multiple communication types,consistent with an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 depicts a system diagram for interfacing with social networks,consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications andalternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of examplein the drawings and will be described in detail. Various exampleembodiments are implemented in connection with the approaches describedin the attached Appendix A, which forms a part of this patent documentand is fully incorporated herein by reference. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the disclosure to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to communications systems includingcommunications systems that integrate multiple communication types fortransmission over a packet-based network, such as the Internet, andrelated approaches, their uses and systems for the same. While thepresent disclosure is not necessarily limited to such applications,various aspects of the disclosure may be appreciated through adiscussion of various examples using this context.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods and devicesthat are useful for providing a unified communications platform toindividuals, groups and businesses. In particular implementations, auser/front-end interface consolidates a number of different featuresonto a single platform that includes a unified interface.

Particular embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towardoffering the various functions discussed herein using cloud-basedservices. More specific implementations allow the functions to beaccessed through a web-browsing software application. The functions canbe accessed by running applications written in substantially platformindependent programming language, such as Java from Sun Microsystems.This allows for increased flexibility for how and where the functionscan be implemented. Accordingly, changes can be made to the functionalcode in a single version without necessarily requiring changes to bemade for each possible platform used by different customers.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure relate to alocally-installed application that provides an interface associated withthe various features discussed herein. Various embodiments of thepresent disclosure are configured for use with portable devices, such assmart cellular telephones.

Consistent with various embodiments of the present disclosure, a systemis implemented in which a remote server, e.g., a hosted private branchexchange (PBX), coordinates VoIP calls, email and various other servicesso that a user of the system is presented with a single, unifiedinterface.

FIG. 1 depicts a system diagram that includes a unified interfacedesigned for use with multiple communication types. Individuals 102 arepresented with a unified interface 106. The unified interface 106 can beaccessed through a variety of different devices 104. In certaininstances a local network 108 is used by multiple individuals. Forinstance, in an office setting, a local network 108 can be used by theemployees. Each individual 102 can access various functions, some ofwhich are discussed in more detail herein, through the unified interface106.

Individuals 102 can be provided with a private branch exchange (PBX) 110to provide call-based functionality, which can include call routing andadd-on features. The PBX 110 can also provide non-traditional features,a hosted PBX, coordination of VoIP calls, email 118 and various otherservices so that a user of the system is presented with a single,unified interface. PBX 110 can be configured to interface with multipledifferent networks including, but not necessarily limited to, the PSTN112, the Internet 116 and other networks 114. This allows for multipledifferent communications links to be established between devices 104 anddevices 118. These devices can include audio-enabled devices, such asPSTN-based telephones, VoIP telephones and computer-based soft VoIPtelephones. Other devices can include facsimile machines and computers.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward thefunctionality of PBX 110 being provided as a cloud computing service.The cloud computing service can include various additional features soas to provide a unified communications platform. Particularimplementations allow the cloud-based unified communications platform tobe accessed using a common web-browser.

Accordingly, a system or device can be configured with a first interfacethat is configured and arranged to provide content to a remoteweb-browser. This first interface can be provided by a computer serverdesigned to implement a website. A second interface is configured andarranged to communicate content of an audio telephone calls with aremote audio-enabled device. This second interface can also communicatevideo content, text content, document sharing content and/or desktopsharing content.

A processing circuit is configured and arranged to establish an audiotelephone call between the remote web-browser and the remoteaudio-enabled device. The processing circuit can also facilitatecommunications with social networks by passing a general status messageto a plurality of interface modules, each interface module designed tointerface with a corresponding and respective social network.

FIG. 2 depicts a graphical user interface (GUI) for providing a userwith information and control over multiple communication types,consistent with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The GUIof FIG. 2 represents an example interface that consolidates multipledifferent types of communications and messages in a single interface.Moreover, the depicted GUI can be presented entirely within a webbrowser.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to embodiments in which theunified interface shows the status of all current calls and allows forautomatic and manual routing of calls. Such aspects can be particularlyuseful for call-center type applications, such as sales and marketing.For instance, both incoming and outgoing calls can be routed betweenavailable operators as desired. An integrated sales option facilitatesaccess to sales/customer data for use in a business environment.

The unified interface can include a voicemail tab that displays storedvoicemail messages. The unified interface can display, if available,from whom the voicemail originated, time of call, length of message andwhether or not the voicemail has been previously listened to by theuser. Moreover, the unified interface can also provide a text version ofthe voicemail using voice-to-text services. A particular embodiment ofthe present disclosure links the voicemail to remote services, such as acloud computing service offered by a remote server. This remote servicecan perform the voice to text translation.

The unified interface can also include one or more email tabs thatdisplay email messages for one or more email accounts. Another option onthe unified interface includes a facsimile tab, which can display imagesassociated with the facsimile messages. A call queue tab can show a listof callers on hold, or otherwise waiting. The unified interface providesa simple click/drag option that can transfer calls from the queue toother destinations as desired.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide extensive reporting andrecording services. This can include detailed call logs, which can belinked to sales records, customer complaints, service records and otherinformation/databases. Thus, by clicking on a call record/log, a user ofthe unified interface system can see a list of available informationthat is associated therewith. Moreover, when an incoming or outgoingcall is initiated, information linked to the other party can beautomatically displayed or otherwise made available (e.g., in responseto caller ID or ANI information). The desired information can then beeasily accessed without necessarily having to access an entirelydifferent interface and/or software application.

Other aspects of the present disclosure relate to a contact list withinthe unified interface. Entries in the contact list can include numerousdifferent contact options for reaching the individual. These caninclude, but are not limited to, telephone numbers, cellular numbers,email, facsimile numbers, SMS/MMS texting and/or instant messagingoptions. Any of the available options can be accessed and used from asingle interface. Moreover, embodiments of the present disclosureprovide for intelligent scripting to be added to facilitateoften-repeated functions.

The unified interface can also provide a call list that displays allactive calls. The active calls can include those to a particularindividual, to a particular group of individuals, or to all individualswithin the organization or company. For instance, this can allowindividuals to ascertain to whom a queued call should be transferredbased upon the current call status.

A particular aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure relates toa store/purchasing option that facilitates the purchase of additionalfeatures (e.g., new telephone lines) by operators of the unifiedinterface. The system can be designed to provide easilyexpandable/configurable services that allow for automated purchasing andupgrading through the unified interface. In this manner, purchasing ofnew features and new telephone extensions, as well as modifications toexisting features, can be seamlessly implemented while still providing arevenue stream. This can be particularly useful for providing an easilyscalable platform and for reducing the overhead necessary to sell andsupport the system. The unified interface can also include a tab thatallows extensions to be changed by a user thereof.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also support the implementation ofring groups. These ring groups include a plurality of telephone numberor extensions that are each linked to an incoming call. For instance, atechnical support line may be linked to several extensions; theseextensions forming a ring group. When calls to the technical supportline are received, the extensions within the ring group are accessed.The manner in which an incoming call is linked to the ring group canvary and be configured as desired. For example, all extensions in thering group can be notified (e.g., all phones can ring), one of theextensions can be randomly selected, only available extensions can beselected and/or extensions can be rotated/sequentially selected. In aparticular implementation of the unified interface, the queue featurecan be used to notify all interfaces within the ring group of anincoming call. Any of the individuals at the extensions can choose toreceive the call.

Multiple call handling features can also be provided by the unifiedcommunications platform. These features include, but are not limited to,call transfer, call hold, resume and others.

As discussed herein, many of the features and embodiments can be appliedto both inbound and outbound calls. For instance, consistent withcertain implementations of the present disclosure and auto-attendantfeature can be used to respond to incoming calls. Call queuing and autoattendant can also be implemented for outbound calling. Outbound callscan be automatically dialed and if no operator is currently available,an auto attendant can be used. Once a live operator is available, orafter the auto attendant has completed, the called party can beconnected to the live operator. For the sake of brevity, the corollarybetween inbound and outbound calls is not discussed in all instances.

Aspects of the present disclosure include a module for performing PSTNto IP handling with facsimile messages. This can include, for example,conversions relating to T.38 to T.30 standards. Other aspects relate tothe ability to queue outbound facsimiles for efficientdelivery/conversion. For instance, outbound facsimiles can be queued andsent at times determined by transmission costs, preferred delivery timesand available bandwidth. Other aspects allow for the routing offacsimiles over email and for the use of mobile fax to cellular capableportable devices.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to group calling functionsand/or conferencing features. One such embodiment relates to callswithin organization. A conference can be created from the unifiedinterface. Any individual that is invited to the conference will havethe conference displayed on their respective interface. The systemallows the individuals to each enter and leave the conference as theydesire. Moreover, the status of each individual can be shown to otherparticipants.

Consistent with another embodiment of the present disclosure, the systemprovides a highly-configurable mechanism for sharing of status/controlinformation between individuals. For instance, users within a commongroup can designate that a call status should be shared with others(e.g., to allow sales force members to see that others of the team arespeaking to certain clients). This can also be used to requestassistance from members of another group. A user can chose to share acall with another group. Members of the other group are notified of thesharing and can chose to respond to provide assistance. For instance, asales individual can share a call with a technical-support group when apotential customer desires certain technical details.

Other aspects of the present disclosure relate to the ability to setupand configure the system with tiered/hierarchical access to informationthrough the unified interfaces. The tiered structure can be, forexample, a manager at the top, followed by team leaders and finally teamindividuals at the bottom. One access configuration method allows accessto same level or below. In this manner, a manager can monitor calls,direct calls, intercept calls or enter/interrupt calls to allindividuals below themselves. For instance, the unified interface allowsa manager to monitor the status of those they manage. If desired, themanager can send an instant message, text or email to warn a teamindividual, who might be on a call, of an incoming interruption. Theindividual can then alert the other party on the call that the managerwishes to join the call. Similarly, a team individual can send aninstant message, text or email to request interruption from a manager orother individual by selecting an option on their computer screen.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the use of asoftware add-in for software applications, such as documentviewing/editing software applications. Such add-ins can, for example,allow the use of links within documents/emails that automaticallycontact the individual by launching the unified interface application(e.g., call a telephone number). A sales database may contain documentsof sales, such as spreadsheets or word-processing documents. A viewer ofthe documents can simply click on a link within the document to initiatecommunication, i.e., the person can be called, emailed, texted or thelike.

Using the various embodiments discussed herein, a single message caneasily be sent to multiple individuals using different mechanisms.Certain embodiments allow for a set of rules to be implemented todetermine how the message is routed to each of the individuals. Forinstance, depending upon the contact information available, eachindividual can receive the message via one or more of email, fax,voicemail or text message. The unified interface provides the option fora user to define a rule-set that determines how the messages areformatted, transmitted or otherwise communicated. For one or moreindividuals, a text to speech or a recording can be sent directly tovoicemail, whereas for other individuals, an email or facsimile can besent. In certain embodiments, external voicemail systems can be directlyaccessed using, for example, backdoor call options such as slydial-typeservices. The rule set can be designed by the sender and/or by recipientfeedback for how messages are preferred to be received. Other aspects ofthe present disclosure recognize that the unified interface can beconfigured to provide visual voice-mail that can include a text-basedrepresentation of an audio message.

Embodiments of the present disclosure allow a user to move messagesbetween different communication formats and data-types. For instance, byclicking and dragging a voicemail message to a tab for email, theunified interface can transmit the voicemail to the associated emailaccount. Similar actions can be implemented for voicemail, email or fax.The formatting can be automatically assigned, designated according to arule set, or selected by the user at the time the movement of themessage is requested. For instance, the user can be presented with anoption to move voicemail to email as an audio recording file or aconverted text file. Another option could be to move facsimile messageto email account, e.g., as an image file, or to send an email asfacsimile transmission. Various conversion options can be implementedusing a local software application or sent to an external server orcloud application.

Aspects of the present disclosure allow for a user to integrate acorporate directory for a company at which they work. For instance, thecorporate directory can be imported from a Microsoft Outlook ExchangeServer. Multiple other contact lists can also be maintained.

FIG. 3 depicts a system diagram for interfacing with social networks,consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Consistent withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure social networking sites,such as Facebook and Twitter, are accessible to individuals 302 with theunified interface 306 and using devices 304. For instance, oneintegration tool allows contacts to be imported from a social networkingapplication/site. The importation can be wholesale (all acquaintances onthe social network), limited to a selected subset, or incrementallyapproved. The importation can be a one-time/manually prompted action oran ongoing synchronization. The ongoing synchronization can detectchanges to an existing acquaintance, new acquaintances or the removal ofacquaintances. For instance, when another acquaintance is added to thesocial network, the new acquaintance can be added automatically to acontact list that is accessible as part of the unified interface.Moreover, a number of interface features allow for communications usingthe social network.

In certain implementations, status updates can be posted and viewed fromthe unified interface. The status updates can be manually entered orthey can be automatically posted depending upon user settings. Forinstance, the unified communications platform status can be configuredto update a status indication on a social network in response to anestablished a connection using the unified interface. This can include,but is not limited to, joining a meeting or placing/answering atelephone call.

In other instances, messages can be retrieved and posted to the socialnetworks. These messages can be automated or manually implementeddepending upon the configuration of the unified communications platform.Automated messages might update status indicators to indicate that anindividual has logged in to the unified interface. The status can alsoindicate when an individual is participating in a conference ortelephone call. Other status indicators might update the location of anindividual based upon where the unified interface is accessed.

Certain embodiments involve the use of a set of general status messagesthat are generated for a corresponding event, independent from anyparticular social network. One or more formatting/interface modules 312,314, 316 provide integration to corresponding social networks byreceiving a general status message and updating the respective socialnetwork status. For instance, the unified communications platform 308can generate a single message for a status update 310 that indicatesthat an individual is busy due to a meeting that is in progress. Thissingle message can be presented to any of a number of different modules.A first module might post a message of this status on a site such asTwitter, a second module might update a chat status to busy/unavailableon an instant message application (e.g., as available on many differentsocial networks), a third module might do nothing (e.g., for a socialnetwork that is not setup for real time status updates.

Certain embodiments are directed toward the unified communicationsplatform initiating text-based, audio-based and/or video based chatsessions using an instant messaging service provided as part of thesocial network.

This use of different modules can be particularly useful for allowingthe seamless integration of the unified communications platform tomultiple different social networks. Moreover, a single change made tothe message generation component will be effective for each of thedifferent social networks. For instance, additional status updateoptions can be added to the functionality of the unified communicationsplatform without the need to make substantial modifications for eachdifferent social network. Moreover, different filters can be set in eachinterface module to allow an individual to use multiple social networkswith different levels of interaction. For instance, an individual maywant audio call-status (active call, no current call) to be displayed ona first social network (e.g., Google Talk), but not on a second socialnetwork (e.g., Facebook), whereas both social networks can be configuredto display the login/online status for the individual.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide status updates ofother individuals to be imported from social networks and viewed usingthe unified interface. For instance, the unified interface can beconfigured to display status information for contacts, where at leastsome of the status information is provided from a contact's profile on asocial network.

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward the ability of theunified communications platform to provide different levels of statusinformation to different groups. The groups can be determined based uponindividually-defined groups or upon other groupings, such as adistinction between status updates to social networks and status updatesto individuals in the corporate directory and/or other users of theunified communications platform.

These and other aspects can be useful for providing a seamlessintegration with services such as Google Talk, XMPP and/or Jabber. Theembodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such specificservices, but such embodiments can be useful to understand andappreciate the flexibility and portability of the unified communicationsplatform. Social networks and related services are constantly changing.This includes changes to existing networks and services, as well asentirely new networks and services. These changes and additions can beaccounted for using the modular approach discussed herein.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towardproviding flexible call and video recording options. As discussedherein, the unified communications platform can provide various audioand video communications options including conferencing features withaudio and/or video. Whether dealing with a direct connection between twoparties or a conference situation with many parties, the unifiedcommunications platform provides an individual with the option ofrecording the audio, video and/or shared conference documents anddisplays. The unified communications platform can be configured toperform the recording as a cloud-based service. This allows anindividual to access the recorded content at a later date at virtuallyany location using the unified interface. Alternatively, or in addition,the recorded content can be stored locally (e.g., as a file stored on alocal storage medium).

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward an integratedconference bridge that provides meeting features using the unifiedinterface. One aspect of the integrated conference bridge includes theability to create a meeting with a single meeting startbutton/selection. For instance, an individual can select one or morecontacts. The unified interface can be configured to automaticallygenerate a selection option to start a meeting. If the individualselects the option, each of the selected contacts is provided with ameeting invitation. A conference/meeting bridge automatically initiatesa meeting that the invited contacts can join. The meeting invitationscan be sent in a variety of different manners including, but not limitedto, email, text, social network messages/status updates and/or a directtelephone call.

Once meeting is initiated/established, the conference/meeting bridge canbe controlled using the unified interface. Meeting controls allow anumber of different functions such as content sharing, individual windowsharing, desktop sharing and the ability to invite additionalparticipants, which can occur in real time.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward forwardingoptions for calls, meeting invites and similar information. In oneimplementation, a single forwarding number can be selected and used.More advanced forwarding is also possible using easily configurableforwarding rules. The rules can use any number of different inputcriteria to determine the forwarding number. For instance, caller ID canbe used to determine where (and if) to forward a call. Thus, personalcalls, as indicated by the caller ID can be routed to a mobile phone,while business calls can be routed to an office phone. Another possiblecriterion includes the time of day. The unified communications platformcan also attempt to locate an individual in real time as part of aFind-me-Follow-me feature.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented ina number of different manners including, but not limited to, storedexecutable data on tangible medium, computer processors, programmablelogic, hardware circuit logic, processing circuits and combinationsthereof. Aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented usinggeneral purpose computers that have been specially configured withinstructions stored on a tangible medium. Various functions describedherein are thereby able to be carried out by modifying one or moregeneral purpose computers to function as specially program computers. Itis also possible that various functions can be implemented through thedesign of electronic hardware logic devices. There is flexibilitybetween configuring a device using stored instructions, speciallyprogrammed logic circuits, or combinations thereof.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the disclosure.Based upon the above discussion and illustrations, those skilled in theart will readily recognize that various modifications and changes may bemade to the present disclosure without strictly following the exemplaryembodiments and applications illustrated and described herein. Forexample, the methods, devices and systems discussed herein may beimplemented in connection with voice-over Internet services, streamingmedia and call-processing. The disclosure may also be implemented usinga variety of approaches, such as those involving a number of differentoperating systems and software programs/packages or using approaches inthe attached Appendix A. Such modifications and changes do not departfrom the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure, including thatset forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a first serverconfigured and arranged to provide content to a remote web browser; asecond server configured and arranged to communicate content of audiotelephone calls with a remote audio-enabled device; and a processingcircuit configured and arranged to facilitate communications between apluralities of disparate communications systems by: providing a unifieddisplay accessible by the remote web-browser, the unified displayproviding access to the plurality of disparate communications systems ina single graphical user interface, wherein the plurality of disparatecommunications systems are associated with a plurality of respectivelydifferent formats; establishing an electronic meeting between multipleindividuals, the electronic meeting including audio and video content;generating a general status message in response to the electronicmeeting being established, the general status message including a singlemessage for a status update associated with the electronic meeting andthat updates at least a subset of the plurality of disparatecommunications systems; and passing the general status message to aplurality of interface modules, each interface module designed tointerface with a corresponding communication system of the plurality ofdisparate communications systems in response to the general statusmessage.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit isfurther configured and arranged to facilitate communications between aplurality of disparate communications systems, by generating a presencestatus message in response to and indicative of an audio telephone callbeing established, the apparatus further including at least two of theplurality of interface modules, in response to the plurality ofinterface modules receiving the general status message, the at least twoof the plurality of interface modules being configured and arranged toupdate the status of at least two of the corresponding disparatecommunications systems of the plurality of disparate communicationssystems.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each respectivecommunications system among the plurality of disparate communicationssystems communicates content in a different respective format, and theprocessing circuit is further configured and arranged to providecommunication between the plurality of disparate communications systemshaving the respectively different formats.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2,wherein the processing circuit is further configured and arranged tofacilitate communications between a plurality of disparatecommunications systems, by: updating a presence status of a participantin the audio telephone call on a respective social network associatedwith the participant.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessing circuit is further configured and arranged to facilitatecommunications between a plurality of disparate communications systems,by: displaying on the unified display for each respective individual inthe electronic meeting, information relating to the establishedelectronic meeting.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processingcircuit is further configured and arranged to facilitate communicationsbetween a plurality of disparate communications systems, by: generatingthe general status message for each respective individual in theelectronic meeting in response to the electronic meeting beingestablished.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second server isconfigured and arranged to communicate content in a plurality of formatsincluding: video content, text content, and at least one of documentsharing content and desktop sharing content.
 8. The apparatus of claim7, wherein the processing circuit is configured and arranged tofacilitate communications between a plurality of disparatecommunications systems, by: in response to instructions received to movea message from a first communications system to a second communicationssystem of the plurality of disparate communications systems, convertingthe message to a format associated with the second communicationssystem.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit isconfigured and arranged to facilitate communications between a pluralityof disparate communications systems, by: transmitting a message tomultiple individuals using a communications system among the pluralityof disparate communications systems and in a format specified in a ruleset associated with the message.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe processing circuit is configured and arranged to facilitatecommunications between a plurality of disparate communications systems,by: importing contacts from data obtained from a social network.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is configured andarranged to facilitate communications between a plurality of disparatecommunications systems, by: initiating a text-chat function between twoindividuals among the imported contacts.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the processing circuit is configured and arranged to facilitatecommunications between a plurality of disparate communications systems,by: accessing location data from a social network among the plurality ofdisparate communications systems; and providing call forwarding based onthe accessed location data from the social network.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured and arranged tofacilitate communications between a plurality of disparatecommunications systems, by: providing an option to initiate anelectronic meeting between selected contacts and to respond to selectionof the option by contacting each of the selected contacts in response toselection of contacts by an individual operating the remote web browser.14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit isconfigured and arranged to facilitate communications between a pluralityof disparate communications systems, by providing the content to theremote web browser using a platform independent programming language.15. A method comprising: executing software instructions on a computerto perform the steps of providing an interface with content to a remoteweb browser; operating a unified display accessible by the remoteweb-browser, the unified display providing access to a plurality ofdisparate communications systems in a single graphical user interface;passing a general status message to a plurality of interface modules,each interface module designed to interface with a correspondingcommunication system of the plurality of disparate communicationssystems in response to the general status message, the plurality ofdisparate communications systems having a plurality of respectivelydifferent formats; establishing an electronic meeting between multipleindividuals, the electronic meeting including audio and video content;and generating the general status message in response to the electronicmeeting being established, the general status message including a singlemessage for a status update associated with the electronic meeting thatupdates at least a subset of the plurality of disparate communicationssystems.
 16. The method of claim 15, further including the steps ofgenerating the status message in response to an audio telephone callbeing established, and in response to the plurality of interface modulesreceiving the general status message, updating the status of the atleast subset of the plurality of disparate communications systems. 17.The method of claim 15, further including a step of importing contactsfrom data obtained from a social network.
 18. The method of claim 15,further including providing the content to the remote web browser usinga platform independent programming language.
 19. The method of claim 15,further including setting a different filter in each interface module toallow an individual to use communications systems with different levelsof interaction.
 20. The method of claim 15, further including inresponse to instructions received to move a message from a firstcommunications system to a second communications system of the pluralityof disparate communications systems, converting the message to a formatassociated with the second communications system, and providing accessto the converted message on the unified display.